


(i'll be with you) from dusk til dawn

by hyewon



Category: LOONA (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Fluff, Slow Burn, also lipsoul shenanigans, but very little of it, friendship is precious, tags can and will be modified as i go lmao sorry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-14
Updated: 2018-12-03
Packaged: 2019-05-06 09:17:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14638782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hyewon/pseuds/hyewon
Summary: "If she was being honest, it was killing her, seeing the girl be so miserable. As much as she tried, as much as her brain searched for the shortest of memories, she just couldn't remember the last time she had seen Hyejoo smile."loona hogwarts au where hyejoo got bitten by a werewolf on the winter vacation of her third year, and ended all of her friendships at school, for their own safety.





	1. Prologue: Hyejoo

**Author's Note:**

> this is gonna be a bumpy and not easy at all ride. 
> 
> mostly from gowon's pov.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hellooooooo, before you start reading this i'd like to make a few disclaimers: i might abandon this fic at some point, mainly because the few times i actually start writing something it's because i can't get it out of my head, and once i get stuck and it does get out of my head, i completely forget about it. also, i am not an active writer so who knows when i am going to update, or how frequently.
> 
> with that said: haseul, vivi, yves, jinsoul are all sixth years, gowon, olivia, chuu, kim lip, choerry, heejin, hyunjin are fifth years, and yeojin is a fourth year.

This was it. This was the place Hyejoo had been dreaming of for almost her entire life. Ever since she could remember, her parents had always talked about how one day she was going to come here, how she was going to live some of the best years of her life, how unbelievable everything would all be the first time she saw it (and it's not like Hyejoo hadn't seen magic before, with her mom being a witch and all that), how special this place would be to her.

 

Hogwarts. School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

 

The castle was even bigger than what she had imagined. Her mother's descriptions didn't come even  _close_ to how the actual school was like in Hyejoo's eyes: a mysterious, wonderful place that was both dark and gloom, and bright and inviting at the same time. Hyejoo thought it might had something to do with the fact that she was seeing it from a boat in the middle of a pitch black late, with a big full moon and bright stars complimenting the scenery, as well as the lit lanterns every boat heading to Hogwarts carried to light the way.

 

"Woah" the tiny girl next to her sighed quietly. Hyejoo turned her head to look at her amazed face, eyes big and mouth wide open, gaping at the image before her. Hyejoo assumed she must had had a similar look on her face, because when the girl glanced at her, her eyes filled with excitement, she smiled at her. Hyejoo smiled back, and both of them turned to look at the castle again, full of uncertainty and nerves, but still happy to be there nonetheless.

 

>>>>>>>

 

"Hufflepuff!" the sorting hat's voice boomed all over the great hall as cheers erupted from the Hufflepuff table. Hyejoo stared as the brown haired girl walked to what would be her dining table for seven school years, and joined her new house mates. She walked with a spring in her step and a wide smile on her face, as if she were walking towards a cute pygmy puff to pet it. 

 

With Hyejoo's nerves, it was basically impossible for her to remember any names, so she busied herself with the Great Hall's magnificent ceiling. She had never seen magic like it, since her mother had only taught her basic spells and the ones she used around when Hyejoo was around were mostly domestic, simple spells. The ceiling had been hexed to appear as if, ironically, there were no ceiling. Clouds swirled above Hyejoo's head, sometimes showing a speck of the starry night, other times displaying flashes of lightning that captivated the young girl more and more, up to the point she almost missed the professor shouting her name.

 

"Son, Hyejoo!" startled, Hyejoo walked quickly (and almost tripped over her robes on her way) to the stool next to Professor Thomas where the old, brown hat was waiting to sort her into one of the four houses. Very awkwardly, Hyejoo sat down on the tiny stool. She was quite tall for an eleven year old, so the problem wasn't getting to sit on the seat, but all the eyes directed her way, She had always been a shy, quiet, reserved child, and having everyone's attention wasn't something she was used to.

 

Professor Thomas put the Sorting Hat on Hyejoo's head, and it immediately fell over her eyes and half of her nose, completely blocking her sight.

 

"Ah, yes." Hyejoo heard a voice, almost a whisper, beside her ear. Or at least she thought it was beside her ear. One can never know when it comes to magical hats. "A bit of a mess, and a bit of a wreck, you've made of your outer shell, but the inner self shines through nonetheless." Hyejoo would've been offended if the one judging her hadn't been and old dirty hat. "Appearance isn't all that their is, you should know, since behind many layers you hide beneath."

 

"Slytherin!" cheers erupted from Hyejoo's right, and when the Sorting Hat was finally removed from her head, she had to blink a few times, not only to adjust to the sudden change of lightning, but also because of the house she had been sorted in. She had nothing against Slytherin (in fact, she thought it was a pretty cool house), she just thought she didn't fit in there. Hyejoo wasn't cunning, or ambitious enough. She certainly didn't have a loud mouth like most Slytherins seemed to do.

 

With jittery legs and her heart beating in her ears, Hyejoo got down from the stool and approached her house's ( _her House, Slytherin)_ assigned table. She sat next to a tall fifth year (or at least Hyejoo thought he was a fifth year) with dark blond hair and another brunette first year, who sported a smug smile on her face.

 

"We hit the jackpot with Slytherin, don't you think?" the girl said once Hyejoo had made herself as comfortable as she could in the crowded space (which wasn't much). She managed a nod and a tiny smile, her words failing her because of her nerves, timidness, and overall shock of being a part of Slytherin, of being in  _Hogwarts_. "I'm Jungeun, by the way. Kim Jungeun." the girl offered her fist for Hyejoo to bump it, which was a quite overly friendly move for someone she had just met, but Hyejoo rolled with it and bumped Jungeun's fist with her own. She, of all people, couldn't really say what was appropriate regarding social interactions.

 

"Son Hyejoo. Nice to meet you."

 

||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

 

Hyejoo woke up with a start, sweat drenching her body and pajamas as she breathed heavily. She massaged her eyes, trying to erase the image the nightmare had put on a loop on her head yet again. It was always around a particular date where her nightmares got worse, giving her insomnia for a week after that. She knew what it meant, and she hated the situation even more because of it. And if things couldn't be worse, the full moon was scheduled for a week later after she had to return to Hogwarts. 

 

Hyejoo looked out of her window, seeing only clear skies and stars before her. No moon. She closed the curtains, and willed herself not to cry.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you enjoyed the prologue!


	2. Chaewon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's been too long but it's finally here. thank you to my lovely betta (who idk if she already made an ao3 account or not) for pushing me to do it this one was for you

Chaewon walked through the barrier between platforms nine and ten, and stepped onto platform nine and three quarters, pushing her rusty cart with all of her strength. Her parents appeared beside her, having just gone through the same metal wall themselves, and with a small nod and a smile, the family of three made their way to the least occupied carriage they could find.

 

Bbomi, Chaewon's american marten, squeaked intensely from his place on Chaewon's shoulder, as his eye caught the site of the familiar train. Her pet had never been fond of long trips, especially if they were by car or train, and usually Chaewon tried to make him sleep before they went on their way, but there was no time to sing him a lullaby (nor she would do it even if she  _had_ the time, she couldn't deal with the embarrassment). The Hogwarts Express was scheduled to leave in about ten minutes, so as her parents helped her get her trunk and Bbomi's cage on the train, she tried to comfort him as much as she could.

 

"I'm sorry buddy, but you'll have to suck this one up." Chaewon said while she petted his brown coat, and scratched him a little behind his ears, making Bbomi nudge her hand with his head in delight. "Maybe Jiwoo will play with you if she's in the mood."

 

Chaewon smiled at the memory of one of her best friends. Jiwoo was a tiny (barely taller than Chaewon herself), energetic and cheerful ball of sunshine with bangs no one but her could pull off, and a million dollar smile. The girl could be a little bit of a nut case, but Chaewon wouldn't want anyone else as a best friend. Sure, she was high maintenance, and she usually dragged Chaewon to more than weird and silly activities, but Chaewon knew she would never live a dull moment as long as Jiwoo was by her side.

 

"Wonnie, it's time." her father said checking his watch, and snapping the girl from her thoughts. She smiled sadly, and gave both of them an awkward hug. It's not like she had a bad relationship with her parents, they just tended to travel a lot because of their jobs, so they were a bit absent in Chaewon's life. Bbomi was actually the result of a two month trip during the summer before her second year at Hogwarts, in which they've felt extremely guilty about leaving Chaewon alone for that long. And so, they had decided to bring her a little pet from their journey, to keep Chaewon company (besides the house elves) the next time they were away. Of course, knowing very little about magical pets, and even less about muggle pets, they had brought the little rodent with them. When Chaewon had told her friends about it, some of them weren't really sure if it was legal to have the marten, but Bbomi had gotten attached to her quickly, and had had no trouble adjusting to the pet life. So Chaewon decided to say nothing to her parents, and keep him by her side.

Yelling her goodbye over her shoulder, Chaewon climbed up onto the carriage, and got into the long corridor with filled compartments. Hugging Bbomi close to her chest, Chaewon started looking for her friends in one, two, three carriages, until a compartment door opened loudly right in front of her. A tall, blonde girl got out of it and closed it just as loud and strong as before. The girl turned, and when she saw Chaewon, she froze with squinting eyes. Chaewon did the same thing.

 

"Park Chaewon." said the girl with a serious, dark face.

 

"Jung Jinsol." Chaewon replied.

 

They kept staring at each other for a few seconds, until Bbomi recognized Jinsol, and squeaked excitedly. Starting to crack, a corner of Jinsol's mouth quirked up in amusement, which, not being able to hold it in any longer, made Chaewon burst out laughing. She was soon joined by Jinsol's deep chuckles, and she waisted no more time in hugging the older girl.

 

"Long time no see, kiddo." Jinsol teased as she ruffled Chaewon's hair.

 

"Would you stop calling me that?" the smaller of the two giggled, failing to put up an offended front. She was just so excited to see her friend and housemate again, after only communicating via letter for almost four months. "You're just one year older than me."

 

"Yeah, but you're still younger. And Little, with a capital L." Chaewon shook her head and nudged Jinsol lightly, causing the blonde to chuckle once again. With a lazy smile, Jinsol pointed towards the compartment with her thumb. "Yerim and Jiwoo are already in there. I'm gonna go look for someone and then I'll come back."

 

When Chaewon nodded, the taller girl turned around, walking towards the direction of the end of the train. Chaewon had an idea of who Jinsol was looking for, but she managed not to be too bothered by it, remembering what Jinsol had said before that.

 

Grinning widely, Chaewon opened the compartment door unnecessarily quickly and struck a pose: her fists connecting with her hips, legs slightly spread, and her chin up. She looked towards the imaginary horizon, and Bbomi even helped by climbing up her neck and standing on her head.

 

"How much did you two losers miss me this summer?"

 

"Cha Cha!" Jiwoo basically threw herself on Chaewon (making Bbomi almost fall from Chaewon's head) with a wide eyes, and an excited smile, and hugged her tightly. Chaewon let a gleeful giggle escape her and hugged Jiwoo just as tightly. However, when Chaewon let go, Jiwoo was still very much attached to her, and Chaewon was starting to need air.

 

"Get off, leach. It's time for Chaewon's favourite hufflepuff to give her the hug she deserves." a voice said behind Jiwoo.

 

Jiwoo detached herself from Chaewon as quickly as she had hugged her with an offended scoff, and looked at Yerim with her arms crossed. " _I_ am Chaewon's favourite hufflepuff" she replied with a pout.

 

Yerim smirked, amused by Jiwoo's childish reaction, and winked at Chaewon. "You can always dream, I guess."

 

Jiwoo huffed, and took Bbomi from Chaewon's shoulder before sitting down and petting him, while talking with a  _quite_ loud baby voice. Chaewon stepped into the compartment, closing the sliding door behind her, and faced Yerim.

 

With Jiwoo distracted, Yerim approached Chaewon with her broad, adorable, winner smile, and Chaewon could do nothing but return it fully.

 

"Hi, Yerim." She said, looking softly at the brunette.

 

Yerim hugged her tighly (not as tight as Jiwoo though, Chaewon was thankful for that) while replying to her greeting, and Chaewon smiled into her shoulder.

 

"I see you went back to black" Yerim said, grabbing a lock of Chaewon's hair. Pulling back from the hug, the shortest out of the two frowned and grabbed the same lock Yerim was stroking with the tip of her fingers. Adjusting her round spectacles, Chaewon reminisced about the day she had bleached her hair.

 

It had started as a bet between Jiwoo and Sooyoung, and Jinsol and Jungeun, to see who could win on a piggyback ride race. Sooyoung had won with Jiwoo at her back, while Jinsol was left panting quite a few yards away from them with a complaining Jungeun. Chaewon had teased them, and for that she had been dragged into the end results.

 

("That's it, you're coming with us."

 

"Huh? I wasn't even a part of the bet!"

 

"Exactly, you don't get mocking rights")

 

Chaewon had to admit, when the three of them had stepped into the Great Hall that day, it had felt so empowering seeing a handful of faces looking their way. Most of them had been staring at Jinsol and Jungeun, but Chaewon had managed to catch a few glances directed towards her. She had continued dying her hair alogside the two girls after that, up until she started growing (unintentionally) apart from Jungeun. Chaewon had felt it was no longer her place, and that it would be of no use to keep on doing something that was such a trademark of their friendship when there was no friendship anymore. So, when her hair started growing, she decided to dye it one last time (it was ruining her scalp, she realized, and Chaewon did  _not_ want to go bald this soon in life, or ever, for that matter), so that she could go back to her natural hair color without the bright golden streaks taking ages to leave her hair. Meanwhile, both Jinsol and Jungeun had continued dying it blonde, at least as far as Jinsol was concerned.

 

Chaewon was pulled back from her thoughts when the door slid open once again, startling her. She had been so caught up on the memory, she didn't even know the train had started moving. With a slight jump, she looked back to see Jinsol standing behind another girl. A very blonde, very beautiful girl, with indifference written all over her face.

 

 _Speak of the devil and she shall appear_ , Chaewon thought, still looking at Jungeun.

 

"Is there something on my face? Since you seem to be so interested in it." Jungeun said, raising her eyebrows a Chaewon, who blushed, and quickly looked away.

 

"N-no, I was jus-"

 

"I'm messing with you, Chaewon." the other girl interrupted with a chuckle that ended in a mischievous smile. She looked Chaewon up and down, and when she settled her eyes back on her face, the mischievous smile had turned soft. "It's good to see you."

 

Chaewon blinked a few times before responding "Yeah. You too, Jungeun."

 

While Jungeun got her luggage up in the luggage rack, Jinsol raised an eyebrow at her, to which Chaewon only smiled, making sure the older girl knew she was okay. She sat down next to Jiwoo, who was still holding Bbomi and cooing at him.

 

"What happened to you?" Yerim asked Jungeun.

 

"Hi, Jungeun, how was your summer Jungeun? Did you enjoy it? Oh it was very nice, thanks for asking, Yerimmie." Jungeun said rolling her eyes.

 

"Get over yourself, we're neighbours" Yerim replied, rolling her eyes as well, but with a teasing smile. "I actually thought you were gonna miss the train."

 

"Almost did. Had to run to get on this damn thing" Jungeun plopped down between Yerim and Jinsol, wasting no time in draping herself all over the girls. "My shitty father didn't want to take me to the station, so I had to take the bus."

 

The four girls cringed at the blonde's words. They all knew about Jungeun's...  _strained_ relationship with her muggle father. It had always been that way, but ever since her mother died during their second year (and Jinsol's third), it had manage to become even worse. Jungeun's father no longer approved of her going to Hogwarts, and writing to (or hanging out, in Jinsol's and Yerim's case) her friends from school. He had tried everything to keep Jungeun from going back to Hogwarts, and Chaewon thought he would've given up by now, but apparently he was still very much hang up on the idea Jungeun should not follow her mother's footsteps.

 

Chaewon took the chance to finally look at Jungeun. She was already wearing her Hogwarts robes, unlike the other four girls, who were in casual clothing. They seemed a bit dirty, and her hair was all over place, almost as if someone had purposely made it a hot mess. Chaewon noticed the dark bags under her eyes, just as Jungeun pulled the hood from her robe over her head, covered almost half of her face, and snuggled close to Jinsol's stomach, "Wake me up when we get there."

 

Jinsol didn't say a word, opting to stare down at her childhood best friend and neighbour.

 

_Thump._

 

The loud sound against the compartment window made the five girls jump in fright, and even made Jiwoo squeal a little. A hand was pressed firmly against the sliding door, and Chaewon noticed that whoever the person was, they weren't trying to get in the compartment, they were leaning on the door for support. Chaewon saw they were shaking slightly, and wondered if she should invite them in.

 

The person lifted their head up, and Chaewon's face lost all of its color. Yerim immediately got up, but before she could reach the door, Hyejoo had already ran away from them as suddenly as she had appeared. With her momentary shock gone, Chaewon realized just how sickeningly pale Hyejoo's face was, and how panicked and sad she had looked as soon as her eyes had slowly focused on them.

 

Yerim slid the door open, pearing down the hallway to see how far Hyejoo had managed to go. Chaewon could see her hesitate.

 

"It's not worth it, Yerim." Jungeun said suddenly, with bitterness overflowing her words. Yerim frowned, but still got into the compartment, closing the door behind her.

 

(Chaewon had lowkey hoped she would go after Hyejoo)

 

"She didn't look so good. What if she needs our help?" Chaewon asked.

 

 "It's not our business, and certainly not our problem." the blonde laid on Jinsol again, but didn't attempt to try and sleep.

 

"Come on, Jungeun, don't be like that." Jiwoo said with an uncharacteristically low and soft voice.

 

"Like what? I'm not the one who stopped talking to all of her friends out of the blue, without giving so much as a shitty excuse." this time, Jungeun wasn't only bitter, but she also sounded angry, and Chaewon couldn't blame her, if she was being honest. She had been just as pained, just as angry, back when Hyejoo had closed herself off to their group of friends, refusing to even glance at them. But Chaewon had let it go, with a feeling of sadness and nostalgia being the only remains of her friendship with Hyejoo and the other girls she no longer felt comfortable enough to call "friends". Jungeun, however... well, she had always had trouble with her feelings.

 

A heavy, tense silence settled among them, none of the other girls being able to reply to Jungeun. Yerim grabbed Jungeun's legs with a frown and sat underneath them again, playing with her shoe laces, lost in her own thoughts.

 

Jinsol sighed. "It doesn't really matter now, anyways."

 

Chaewon didn't agree. It  _did_ matter, it always had. But not one single girl out of the twelve that used to compose their tight group of friends had ever had the courage to do something about it.

 

>>>>>>>>>>>

 

"Chae." A soft voice and a little shake woke Chaewon up from the slumber she hadn't even realized she had fallen into. She blinked a few times, willing the sleepiness away, and looked at a smiling Jinsol, crouched in front of her and with her Ravenclaw robes on.

 

"Are we almost there?" She asked.

 

"Yeah. We should be arriving at the station in like, minutes, so I'd hurry up and get changed."

 

Chaewon looked around the compartment at the rest of her friends. Yerim was trying to wake up a very much asleep (and snoring) Jungeun, who wouldn't budge at anything Yerim did, which included pulling her robes, tickling her, smacking her lightly on the cheek, shaking her, and lastly, putting Bbomi on her face (that seemed to be doing the trick). Jiwoo was no where to be seen, probably gone to change her clothes as well or meet Sooyoung before they reached the station, so they could take the carriage to the castle together.

 

She got her trunk out of the luggage rack (with Jinsol's help) and put on her robes. The blue flaps and the Ravenclaw crest displayed over her heart made her smile, proud of the house she had been sorted in four years ago. It happened every year, every time she put those robes after three months of not wearing it.

 

The ride from the station to the school was uneventful, but filled with laughs and chatter as Chaewon, Jinsol and Yerim (and Jungeun) filled each other in on what they didn't manage to write on their letters about their summer. Chaewon had almost forgot about the incident in the train, but was reminded of it as soon as she stepped into the Great Hall, and saw Hyejoo already sitted and slumped over the Slytherin table. She looked even worse than what Chaewon had seen in the train, if that was even possible. The dark circle under her eyes were accentuated by her extremely pale skin, and her tense muscles gave Chaewon the impression she was more than just ill with a fever. The girl looked like every breath she took caused her an immense amount of effort and pain, and Chaewon felt like crying at the sight.

 

The small girl was pulled away from her thoughts when Jinsol grabbed her hand and basically dragged her to their table "I know it's hard, Chae, but this is what she wanted."

 

"Don't you feel just a tiny bit bad? Or guilty? What if we did something wrong?"

 

Jinsol looked back at Hyejoo with sad eyes, and shook her head "Whatever it is that happened, Chae, I don't think we were the cause of it."

 

Both of them dropped the subject as they reached their spot on the table, where a brunette girl was already waiting for them with a broad smile. Despite feeling down, seeing Haseul always gave Chaewon a sense of comfort, almost like homing home to a warm meal and a loving space, so when she smiled back at her friend, she did it genuinely.

 

"Where the heck were you two? I was starting to wonder if you'd missed the train." Haseul said, standing up and hugging Chaewon tightly.

 

"And miss the opportunity of seeing your pretty face after three of months of not doing so? Not a chance." Jinsol replied with a cheeky smile. There had always been something about the way Jinsol joked with Haseul, almost as if she actually were interested in her. Chaewon had thought for a long time that her two ravenclaw friends actually had a thing (or had had one at some point), but she was never one to pry. 

 

"Flattery will get you nowhere, Jinsolie." Haseul scolded her slightly, but still gave the taller girl a timid hug. "It's good to see you two again, I missed you."

 

Chaewon smiled wider, her mood being starting to get better the more time she spent with her friends "We missed you too."

 

As the three of them sat down, Professor Bae stood up, willing the room to silence with her intimidating aura only. As the woman started to greet them, Chaewon felt her stare move towards the Slytherin table once again. Jungeun was sitting with Hyunjin and a few of her guy friends, whispering something to them with a serious face. A few seats down, Chaewon recognized Sooyoung, seated with her new clique of girls (which, Chaewon was sure half of them must have had a crush on Sooyoung). And then, finally, at the very end of the table, Hyejoo. Hyejoo, with her long, black hair, and tired eyes. Eyes that used to be filled with joy, with dreams, with hope. Eyes that were now always looking at the ground, always avoiding everyone's stares, eyes that were always hollow.

 

Chaewon wanted more than anything to know what had happened to her former best friend. She wanted to go back to the days were everything was simpler and they were happy. She wanted to make Hyejoo smile and laugh like she used to do every time she fell off a broom, when she told her a bad joke, when she watched as Sooyoung teased and bothered Chaewon. 

 

If she was being honest, it was killing her, seeing the girl be so miserable. As much as she tried, as much as her brain searched for the shortest of memories, she just couldn't remember the last time she had seen Hyejoo smile.

 

But Chaewon didn't know how to fix it, didn't know what to do to fix it. So, with a final sigh full of longing, Chaewon turned her head just in time to hear as a first year got sorted, and ignored the strange, unwelcome, and uncomfortable feeling on her chest.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you can find me on twitter as @yyxyeeun come say hi and bug me to write there


	3. Chaewon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> short update! i haven't abandoned this, don't worry (for now)
> 
> i wanted to make this chapter longer but it would have been too long with what i had planned so i split it.
> 
> ALSO we got loona's first ot12 song!!! yay!!!!!!!!! it was so good i loved everything about it, a definite bop
> 
> anyway, happy reading!

A week into the school year, and Chaewon was not surprised by the amount of work they already had on their plate. She had no problems with it, of course, even though the workload had significantly increased in contrast with her fourth year. She had always been able to manage her time between homework and socializing, and even helping some unfortunate souls who were not as lucky as her (some of those unfortunate souls being her friends, too). To Chaewon, being a Ravenclaw wasn't just about being smart, or wise. It was about being resourceful, quick, and, indeed, witty. Chaewon liked to think she was all three, even if she did struggle with some of the school subjects (mainly potions, following a recipe was never her forte, hence why she was so bad at cooking and barely managed to pass said class). Not all Ravenclaws were like that though, and even if Chaewon couldn't really get how they have ended up in their house, she was glad some of them did. Read: Jinsol.

 

She was currently watching the blonde hurriedly finish her Charms essay, as she had fallen asleep last night while on the process of writing it.

 

"I told you, you should've done it during that free time we had after our Astronomy class finished earlier." Haseul lightly scolded their blonde friend.

 

"If I had done that, I would've missed Jongin getting punched in the face, and that's a sight I don't think I ever want to forget." Jinsol replied, her quill scribbling hard and fast against the parchment. Sensing Haseul's annoyance, Chaewon decided it would be wise to change the subject before the two got into a pointless fight.

 

"So, are you excited for quidditch trials, Jinsol?" the youngest asked, and Jinsol gave her a bright, but brief smile, as she resumed her writing.

 

"Yeah, Elkie told me she saw some third years practicing earlier in the week and they seem promising. We need a new seeker and another beater, even though I could probably hit both bludgers in my sleep." Jinsol bragged, making her two friends chuckle. It was true Jinsol was quite the amazing beater, but Chaewon was seriously worried about the girl actually trying to hit both bludgers all by herself during training, or even a game. Jinsol tended to do pretty stupid stuff in the name of adventure and trying out new things, and Chaewon was sure one of these days, that tendency was going to get her killed.

 

Two of the Ravenclaws held their breaths as someone suddenly (and forcefully) sat beside Jinsol, spilling her ink all over the table. Jinsol scrambled to get the parchment paper out of the way, barely succeeding, before she turned to glare at Jungeun, who was at least decent enough to sport an apologetic smile.

 

"Oops?"

 

"What are you doing here Jungeun?" Jinsol asked curtly.

 

"Geez, what a warm welcome. I don't even get a good morning kiss?" Jungeun tried to sooth her friend with one of her trademark charming smiles, but when she was met with the same fuming face and two blank ones, she quickly dropped it. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry for almost ruining your rushed, last minute homework."

 

"You are still not answering the question." Jungeun sighed, exasperated by Jinsol's stubbornness.

 

"I have something to tell you guys, but you can't tell anyone." the blonde said seriously, her eyebrows meeting together in a frown.

 

"That's what could've cost me my Charms essay? Fucking gossip?" Jinsol yelled, but was quickly shushed by Jungeun's hand on her mouth, the blonde girl's frown turning from confused to angry.

 

"I'm offended you'd assume I'd  _ever_  participate in gossip, Jinsol. Really, we've been friends since forever, you should know that by now."

 

Jinsol rolled her eyes, removing Jungeun's hands from her face. "Fine, just get to the point, Jungeun."

 

Chaewon watched the whole exchange quietly. See, the thing about Jungeun and Jinsol was, that as much as the two got on each other's nerves, you could tell how close they were, and how much the two girls leaned on each other for support. It was a special friendship, and Chaewon would be lying if she said she wasn't envious of it. Actually, come to think of it, the reason why Chaewon had drifted away from Jungeun was the impending jealousy the smaller girl felt towards the other. Jungeun had such charm, such charisma, that all of her relationships were special. Jungeun and Jinsol, Jungeun and Jiwoo, Jungeun and Yerim, and, in its time, Jungeun and Hyejoo. Chaewon had always felt even smaller than she was already when it came to Jungeun, and when their group started to fall apart, her negative feelings overtook her, putting as much distance from the blonde as she could.

 

"Something is definitely going on with Hyejoo," Chaewon's thought were interrupted as soon as she heard her previous friend's name. The small Ravenclaw squinted her eyes at Jungeun.

 

"Didn't you say it wasn't our business?"

 

Jungeun raised her eyebrows at her, surprised at the bitterness in her tone. "Yes, I did, but that was until I saw her leaving the school yesterday with three people. And she didn't even come back last night."

 

"I thought that was normal by now, seeing as you've been complaining about it for almost a year." Jinsol said, finishing the last bit of her essay.

 

"Yeah, but I had always assumed she was in the Common Room pulling an all-nighter or something like that, not leaving the school grounds."

 

This time, it was Haseul's turn to squint her eyes at Jungeun. "And how would you even know she left the school grounds?"

 

Ah, yes. Jungeun was quite known for being a rebel and a bit of a troublemaker, and she had been spotted many times (by other students, never by a teacher) sneaking out of school. Chaewon had to bite her lip to not show the smug smile begging to stretch across her face.

 

Jungeun shrugged, sheepish smile shamelessly appearing on her face, "Maybe I followed them?"

 

"You  _wha_ _-?!_ " Haseul's yelling was interrupted by Jungeun's hands covering her mouth.

 

"Can you  _be_  any louder? I'm starting to see where Yeojin gets it from." Jungeun said. "Now, are you going to keep calm and let me finish?"

 

Haseul narrowed her eyes at her, but nodded nonetheless. Jungeun removed her hand away from her face and sighed.

 

"I followed them out of the school grounds, yeah, big deal, but what worries me is where they were going." Jungeun made a pause, the deep frown giving her a gloom expression. "They went to the Shrieking Shack."

 

This time, Haseul covered her own mouth, a panicked and worried glint flashing through her eyes. Chaewon felt her body shut down, not knowing what to say, what to think, what to do, as her face grew pale. The Shrieking Shack wasn't exactly known for being a happy place, rather, it was quite infamous, after rumors of the abandoned house near Hogsmeade being haunted had been going around the town and the school for years now. Chaewon couldn't fathom, couldn't even imagine, why Hyejoo would choose to go to a place like that.

 

Chaewon was so lost in her own worries, she didn't notice Jinsol's frown, the gears in that secretly smart mind of hers turning like crazy.

 

"But- but the Shrieking Shack is miles away from here! There's no way they could've gone there with no one seeing them, or without getting lost in the Forbidden Forrest." Haseul frantically tried to reason. Jungeun smiled at her in pity.

 

"There's an enchanted tunnel under the Whomping Willow that goes directly to the Shack. I saw them go through there."

 

That snapped Chaewon back to reality. "And how do you know that? How do you know there's a tunnel under the Whomping Willow? If you followed them through it, how would you know it went directly to the Shrieking Shack without them seeing you? How do you know all these things, Jungeun?" with every question Chaewon got out, she felt her anger flare more and more, while the three girls just stared at her in shock (and the people around her turned to stare).

 

"I- um- uh-" Jungeun stuttered, mind going blank, as she threw Jinsol anxious looks, but the other blonde was just as shaken by Chaewon's anger.

 

Chaewon had  _had_  it with Jungeun. Years of the two girls growing apart, but still 'sharing' friends was something Chaewon had tolerated, it wasn't her place to meddle with who her friends chose to hang out with, after all, but the incident on the train leading up to this was something she just couldn't let Jungeun get away with. Jungeun wasn't consistent with the things she said and did, and how she  _truly_  felt about the whole Hyejoo thing, and Chaewon was tired and exasperated.

 

"You know what I think, Jungeun? I think you made this whole thing up, just to mess with Hyejoo. You said you don't get involved in gossip but that's  _bullshit_ , because that's exactly what you're doing right now. What are you trying to get out of this? Getting a reaction out of Hyejoo? Is that how  _desperate_  you are?"

 

Chaewon could practically feel Jungeun's blood boil. "Fuck you, Chaewon, you don't know-"

 

"Oh, but I do." Chaewon chuckled humorlessly. "All those years ago, you did  _nothing_  to reach out to Hyejoo, while all of us tried to get to her. You did absolutely  _nothing_ , and now... first, you say she's neither our business nor our problem, but then you follow her out of the castle and, what? Act like you worry about her? No, I don't think so." Chaewon hadn't even noticed she had started yelling, her friends' and Jungeun's wide eyes staring intently at her as she brusquely stood up. "You know what you are, Kim Jungeun? You are a fucking  _coward."_ Chaewon took her books lying beside her on the bench with force, before giving Jungeun one last glare. "Leave Hyejoo alone."

 

With that, Chaewon walked away from the Ravenclaw table, lingering and curious eyes following her every step as she walked out of the Great Hall. But she didn't care, because the one pair of eyes she had wanted to see up close for the last year and a half were nowhere to be seen.

 

And, if Chaewon had to pinpoint it, she would say that was the moment things started to change, once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yikes, conflict.
> 
> what do you think will happen from now on? leave me your thoughts in either curious cat (sornlisa), or just message/@ me on twitter (@yyxyeeun)
> 
> until the next chapter!


	4. Chaewon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> no, i haven't abandoned it yet. don't worry i'll let you know if that happens. life has just been hard and i've been lazy and with writer's block making things even more difficult this is now late.
> 
> but long! hopefully for your standards at least.
> 
> idk when the next may be coming along, but i definitely want to finish the jinseul fic in my drafts, and you can always read other works (both mine and from other authors) while waiting for that and this one.
> 
> this is slightly unbetta'd bc i didn't really went over it while copy pasting from my drive to ao3 and the last few parts weren't read by my beta, so, sorry for any mistakes/missing words.
> 
> happy reading!

Three days after Chaewon went off on Jungeun, that's where the first strange thing happened. 

  

She was listening intently to Professor Kim talk about the Invigoration Drought, and how for this lesson, they'd have to pair up with someone. Chaewon was about to go look for Yujin -one of her roommates and somewhat friend-, when she felt someone sit down on the stool next to her. She had never expected the individual to approach her, even less speak to her. 

  

"We're pairing up." Hyunjin stated. It wasn't a question, that much Chaewon could tell, but she was so surprised, she couldn't bring herself to argue with her about it. Or at least argue  _too_  much. 

  

"What about Jungeun? Don't you usually do these things with her?" 

  

"Yeah, but she had other plans this time." The Slytherin shrugged, looking back at the table she had been seated at previously. Following her line of sight, Chaewon found a very serious-looking Jungeun, sitting next to a frozen, wide-eyed Hyejoo. 

  

Chaewon felt her anger rise up in her chest. What in the wizarding world was this girl  _doing?_  

  

"I'll go look for the ingredients," Hyunjin said, dragging Chaewon's attention back to her. "You prepare the cauldron." 

  

As Hyunjin left, Chaewon looked back to the other pair's table with a sigh. She was angry, and curious, and  _bothered_ , but she had to focus on this class, considering how much she sucked at it. 

  

And that took her to the other pressing issue on Chaewon's mind: Hyunjin. 

  

Hyunjin knew how awful Chaewon was at potions, considering she had teased her and helped her with the class back when their group was still together, making the fact that she had chosen  _her_  to concoct any substance was... well, a bit weird. And it wasn't like Jungeun was Hyunjin's only friend in the class. She knew plenty of the Slytherin students, and some of the Ravenclaws, so why Hyunjin had come to her was a mystery to Chaewon.  

  

Hyunjin had always been a reserved, very private person, being only open to a few group of people. Even when they were friends Chaewon still felt there were things she didn't know about the girl, and she was sure some of the other girls had felt the same too. These days, Hyunjin was only close to Jungeun, Haseul, Viian, Jinsol, and, of course, completely attached to the hip with Heejin, her Gryffindor best friend. 

  

It had been an unlikely friendship from the very start, but then again, the whole group had been, too (considering they were, at first eleven, and then twelve girls with very unique and diverse personalities). However, Heejin and Hyunjin were something different. They just...  _were_ , there weren't many ways to describe it. Wherever Hyunjin was, so was Heejin. If anyone wanted to do something with Heejin, they had to have in mind the chance of Hyunjin joining them, which happened more often than not. They were Heejin and Hyunjin, and they were probably one of the best friends Chaewon had ever seen, and met. 

  

(She also thought they absolutely liked each other, but that didn't really concern her anymore, so she left it alone.) 

  

Chaewon wondered if, deep inside her closed self, Hyunjin also missed what they all used to have. That sense of belonging; of being a part of something good and special; of knowing who you could trust, who you could laugh with, who you could count on; knowing they would never leave your side. If that was the case, maybe working with Hyunjin wouldn't be as awkward as she thought it would, and the idea of it comforted Chaewon, so she decided to pretend that it was, indeed, the case. 

  

Halfway through the class, Chaewon couldn't believe she hadn't blown anything up (yet). It was all because of Hyunjin, of course, who made sure to explain every step detailedly, so Chaewon could take notes of them for future use. It was sort of like writing down a report, which it was something Chaewon had no difficulty in doing, unlike Hyunjin. In a way, they made a good team, and Chaewon liked it. And, if Hyunjin's relaxed face and slight smile were anything to go by, the Slytherin felt the same. 

  

Their little bubble burst, however, when a loud, heavy sound of metal hitting stone was heard all over the room. 

  

All heads turned towards the source of the sound, and there they were, a pale Hyejoo frantically picking up the fallen cauldron, it's content soaking the floor and her robes. Jungeun was seething, but she tried to mask it as she apologized profusely to Professor Kim. She took twenty points off Slytherin (ten per girl), and instructed them to stay after class to clean the mess.  

  

Chaewon glared at the back of Jungeun's head, until the blonde turned around, and made eye-contact with her. She returned her glare just as intensely, her face scrunching up in a scowl, and then she crouched to help Hyejoo, breaking their stare competition. 

  

"Hey, Earth to Chaewon," Hyunjin said, snapping her fingers right in front of the small Ravenclaw. She jumped slightly, looking up at her partner, who had her her eyebrows slightly furrowed, but otherwise looked completely uninterested in what had just happened. "We have to keep making this thing, so don't get distracted." 

  

"Right, sorry," Chaewon whispered. 

  

Chaewon spent the remaining time of the class writing down what Hyunjin described to her and her every move, while simultaneously planning the earful Jungeun was going to get from her during lunch. 

  

>>>>>>>>>>>> 

  

With long and angry strides, Chaewon made her way to the Slytherin table, catching Heejin's curious gaze beside Hyunjin, who was sitting right next to her target. 

  

(Hyejoo was sitting at her usual place at the end of the table, with her head down, beautiful long hair covering her face. Chaewon had checked.) 

  

She didn't make it very far though, as Yerim and Jiwoo hooked their arms through Chaewon's at each side, and dragged her away from a potential fight. It did not help that Chaewon was shorter than her two friends, not to mention tiny, which made it extremely easy for the two Hufflepuffs to save Chaewon from an awful and awkward situation. Jungeun was not one to hold a grudge, but Chaewon had struck a nerve, and Jungeun was still furious about the whole ordeal, so they knew that if Chaewon were to confront her again, Jungeun would retaliate. And their argument would see no end, putting the already fractured group in a difficult position, none of them wanting to pick sides and damage their friendship even more. 

  

That still didn't stop Chaewon from throwing a fit and trying to get out of Yerim's and Jiwoo's hold, though. 

  

"Let me  _go!"_ the petite ravenclaw thrashed, "I'm going to kick her ass!" 

  

"No, you won't," Yerim said, somewhat exasperated, "You're about as menacing as a Diricawl, and have the strength of one probably, too." 

  

Chaewon glared at her, adamant on arguing with her now, because  _what the hell was that supposed to mean?_  

  

"Besides, we already talked to her." Jiwoo interrupted Chaewon's train of thought.  

  

"What?" 

  

"You think we agree on what she said and did to Hyejoo, Chae?" Jiwoo asked, frowning, offence laced on her tone, "Sometimes I think you two forget she was our best friend too." 

  

Chaewon felt her stomach drop with guilt. It was easy for her to get caught up in her own worry and nostalgia to take into account how her friends must have felt about Hyejoo, and that cold realization had Chaewon thinking on how much they must miss her, too. Jiwoo loved and cared for Hyejoo like a little sister, after all, despite being only a month older than the girl. She always used to spoil her, sharing her favorite candy with her, and playing as many magic chess matches as Hyejoo's heart desired, knowing very well she was going to lose again. 

  

And Yerim... Yerim had probably been the closest to Hyejoo besides Chaewon, Jiwoo, and Sooyoung. They always talked about muggle gossip and muggle things they liked and enjoyed, and together they would try to explain to Chaewon everything about those things, trying to get her to like them too. Sometimes they differed on their tastes, and their little muggle lessons would turn into a full-on competition for Chaewon to side with them, even if the Ravenclaw had little to no clue about what they were talking about. 

  

("I'm telling you, Chae, pineapple on pizza is the best! You'd love it!" 

  

Hyejoo scrunched up her nose, "You're  _not_  dragging Chae down to hell with you, Yerim, I won't let you." 

  

"Oh? And what are you going to do, miss boring toppings? Hex me?" 

  

"If that's what it takes, you can bet your ass I will.") 

  

"And we do think she went too far this time," Yerim continued, cutting Chaewon's path down memory lane short. "She won't bother Hyejoo again." 

  

Ah, yes. Jungeun. 

  

"Did she tell you that?" 

  

"She did, and if she goes back on her word... well, I didn't spend so much time perfecting the  _slugus_ _eructo_ curse for nothing," Yerim threw her a wink. 

  

"You'd do that to Jungeun? For Hyejoo?" 

  

Yerim only laughed. 

  

"I've done it before, Chae. That's how I know how much she  _loathes_  it." 

  

Chaewon found some comfort in Yerim's words, knowing the girl would go to such lengths against her best friend just to make sure Hyejoo was safe from her. She appreciated it, more than she would like to admit, and she struggled to find the words to show her appreciation towards the Hufflepuffs. 

  

However, as they passed the Ravenclaw table and didn't sit down, Chaewon realized she was still being very much dragged against her will, and her appreciation flew out the window. 

  

"Wait, where are we going?" 

  

"You're having lunch at the Hufflepuff table with us today," Jiwoo offered as an explanation. 

  

"What? But we always have lunch at the Ravenclaw table, or you sit with Jungeun." 

  

"Yeah, well, today Jinsol isn't joining us for lunch, and Haseul wanted to talk to Vivi." 

  

The short Ravenclaw frowned. Jinsol had been skipping lunch and dinner the past few days, doing Merlin knows what in the library. Chaewon had asked Haseul about it, but her older friend didn't seem to know much more than she did, saying Jinsol was just "busy" researching something. 

  

It wasn't uncommon for Jinsol to spend every waking moment in the library whenever she got a new obsession that piked her interest. The blonde would go through every single book of every single corner of the huge space, only stopping once her curiosity was satisfied and she got all the knowledge she needed, or when she got bored enough to go back to her usual pranks and fooling around with Jungeun. Chaewon admired that in Jinsol, in a way. The way she craved knowledge and learning, and yet she still wanted to have unabashed and unfiltered  _fun._  

  

Chaewon sometimes wished she could be as carefree as Jinsol. But she wasn't, which lead her to her next problem. 

  

Sharing lunch time with  _Viian_ _._  

  

She had nothing against the girl. On the contrary, Viian was one of the few girls out of the broken friend group she truly, deeply missed, which made the whole ordeal feel even more awkward. After growing apart, Chaewon had thought multiple times about approaching Viian, trying to reconnect, but she had always chickened out. The last time they had properly spoken, it was because Haseul was busy with prefect duties, and she needed Chaewon to tell Viian she wasn't going to make it to their study session. 

  

(It was ironic, really, how she had called Jungeun a coward, when Chaewon could be accused of the very same thing.) 

  

Jiwoo and Yerim sat Chaewon down on the Hufflepuff table and settled next to her on both sides. They were sitting right across from Haseul and Viian, who were already deep in conversation, but looked up from their little world once the three girls plopped down in front of them. 

  

Viian offered Chaewon one of her characteristic gentle smiles. The younger girl looked down, feeling embarrassed, but returned it with a small smile of her own. 

  

"You didn't get to Jungeun, did you?" Haseul asked, making Chaewon roll her eyes. 

  

"No, Haseul, I didn't." 

  

"Good," Haseul sighed in relief, "I don't think either of you would have survived this one." 

  

"How nice to see you have faith in me." 

  

"Oh, I think you'd have been just fine. Jungeun, on the other hand... I'm not so sure," Viian winked at her, and Chaewon found herself blushing, and looking away shyly. 

  

"Thanks, Viian." 

  

"It's Vivi." 

  

Chaewon frowned, confused at the quick replied, and looked up briefly to assess Viian, "Pardon?" 

  

"You can still call me Vivi, Chaewon. No need for full name formalities," the older Hufflepuff giggled. Chaewon smiled and nodded, too embarrassed to reply in any other fashion. 

  

"I hate to ruin the lovely moment," Yerim said, alternating between looking at Chaewon and Viian, "but what's up with Sol spending so much time at the library lately? Do any of you know?" 

  

Haseul sighed, "She said something about having to look up something about the school's history, but we don't have any assignment about that. I guess she's just doing it because she can, you know how she sometimes gets with her book hunting." 

  

"I'm still worried, though," Yerim frowned, "The last time she skipped more than three meals because of one of her nerd moments was when she decided she would write a fifteen pages long paper about manticores just because, and that was, like, a year and a half ago. And usually she tells us what it is that caught her interest." 

  

"Not to mention Jinsol has never really shown any interest in Hogwarts' history," Jiwoo butted in, "Most of her library time is spent on trying to find books about fantastic beasts." 

  

Chaewon frowned. Jinsol hiding her true motives for wasting her free time on the library seemed off to Chaewon, and the black haired girl raked her brain trying to think of something that might have driven Jinsol to act this way, but she came up empty handed. As long as Jinsol was okay, though, there wasn't much to worry about. She still saw the blonde in passing between classes, and when she was doing her homework in common room, and besides being a little bit more up in the clouds than usual (thinking about what, Chaewon couldn't even begin to imagine), Jinsol seemed fine. Sure, she had a pretty weird mind, and Chaewon had learned not to ask what had Jinsol so focused unless she was ready to get a completely incoherent though, but that didn’t mean something was necessarily wrong. 

 

"I guess she'll tell us once she's done?" Chaewon said with a shrug. 

  

"Hopefully." 

  

>>>>>>>>>>>> 

  

Five days later, Chaewon found herself waking up earlier than she usually did, giving her a head start on the day she had ahead. She went through her morning routine calmly, got dressed, and started making her way to the Great Hall, hoping to find at least some students there, and not be the very first one to arrive. She was planning to continue her Transfiguration homework, seeing as it was due in three days, and even though Chaewon wasn't behind on her other subjects, she could use more free time in the afternoon. Maybe she could even get to enjoy a nice cup of hot chocolate and drink it calmly while studying before any of her friends arrived and started to cause mayhem, like they usually did. 

  

(Chaewon didn't mind it, though. It was because her friends were so chaotic that she managed to fully awaken herself during breakfast, trying to save them from any trouble their sleepy states may get them into.) 

  

While walking down the final set of stairs toward the Great Hall, however, she halted, staring at the two people on the floor below her. 

  

Chaewon was way too far to not make out whatever Jinsol was saying, but close enough to see her lips moving, and the grim, serious expression darkening her usual bright and relaxed face. It was odd, seeing Jinsol so concerned and affected by something. Not even schoolwork got her so worried, and considering how easy studying and learning came to her, it wasn't surprising it didn't, so Chaewon wasn't used to seeing her so... afflicted. The dark haired girl considered approaching her older friend, ask her what was wrong, until she saw who she was talking to. 

  

Hyejoo. 

  

Chaewon completely froze, gaze firmly set on the Slytherin. She had her head down, staring at her feet, and Chaewon wondered if someone could look like they were shaking while also being completely tense. Even from a distance, Hyejoo's clenched fists were visible. The sight made Chaewon's chest hurt in a way she had grown accustomed to in the last few years. Sorrow and worry plagued her heart once again at seeing Hyejoo's distress, and her only desire was to wrap her in a hug and hold her until the other girl told her what had happened to her to just distance herself like that. Chaewon had always been Hyejoo's rock back when they were friends, and the role was so ingrained in Chaewon's soul, the vision of Hyejoo hurting just made her feel like a failure. She could do more, she  _should_  be doing more, but how? When Hyejoo didn't let her approach her? The first few times Chaewon had tried to attempt to talk to Hyejoo, back when something had shifted in the Slytherin, the older girl had gotten away from Chaewon as soon as she had seen her, not even sparing her a look back. And after a while of it happening, Chaewon had gotten the memo. 

  

(They all had.) 

  

Jinsol placed a single hand on Hyejoo's shoulder. By the looks of it, Chaewon guessed it was meant to be comforting, a knowing touch, a movement that tried to express  _I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere_. The blonde's face relaxed too, a sad smile now making way through her gloom features. 

  

However, Hyejoo didn't seem to take the gesture well. She shoved Jinsol's hand away, turning to the side and climbing up the stairs, as she covered the lower half of her face with her hand. Still glued to her place at the top of the stairs, Chaewon realized too late Hyejoo hadn't seen her, and the Slytherin crashed onto her. Their lines of vision met, Chaewon getting to look into her favorite pair of eyes after years of not doing so. The tears pooling in them sent a jolt of pain to Chaewon's heart, and her hands twitched, as the tiny girl tried to control the urge to just reach out, caress Hyejoo's cheeks with her thumbs, wipe away any tears that dared to escape her. 

  

Finally, Hyejoo looked away, getting past Chaewon even faster than she had moved away from Jinsol. It was enough to pull the Ravenclaw out of her daze, forcing her to pull herself together.  

  

She climbed the last flight of stairs, reaching Jinsol, and looking up at her with a frown. The older girl returned it with the same sad, half smile she had given Hyejoo. 

  

"Hey, Chae," she sighed, "For how long were you standing there?" 

  

"Long enough," Chaewon deadpanned. She knew Jinsol would never hurt Hyejoo, not intentionally, at the very least. But whatever Jinsol had said to her, it had certainly affected Hyejoo enough to make her run away and skip breakfast. And Chaewon couldn't help but manifest her worry as anger. It was what she was used to doing, after all. "What happened? What did you say to her?" 

  

Jinsol sighed again, more exasperated and tiredly this time. "Something she needed to hear. It's not my place to say what." 

  

"Why not?" 

  

And then there it was again. The same dark and dreadful expression from before, the one that made Chaewon question if she really wanted to know what was making Jinsol so somber, so frightful. 

  

"Because it's what Hyejoo has been keeping from us for the last year and a half." 

  

 >>>>>>>>>>>> 

  

Chaewon couldn't, for the life of her, focus. She couldn't focus on homework, on her classes, she couldn't even focus on her friends. Everything they did or said went completely unnoticed by Chaewon, up to the point where Jiwoo had to wave both of her hands in front of the Ravenclaw to get her attention, and even then, Chaewon's concentration on what she was saying didn't stay for long. 

   
 

It wasn't unjustified, of course. How could it be when it had only been two days after her little encounter with Jinsol and Hyejoo, and the only thing on her mind was what could possibly could have happened to the Slytherin. How bad could it had been to make her change so much in the spam of a few weeks? To make her draw away from all of her friends? 

   
 

With her brain at full speed, Chaewon hadn't stopped for one minute thinking about it, about Hyejoo, and it was taking a toll on her. That much was clear to see. People who she had never talked to in her life were noticing, so she should have seen it coming when Hyunjin confronted her about it at the end of potions class. 

   
 

"Hey, Chaewon?" the taller girl got her attention, placing a hesitant hand on her elbow, as Chaewon gathered her things with unfocused eyes. "Are you okay? You seemed more clueless than usual today." 

   
 

Chaewon didn't miss the slight teasing in Hyunjin's tone, but she was far too tired, and far too distracted to gather the strength to pretend to be offended, and follow along the teasing game. 

  

"Yeah, I'm just... thinking about something." 

   
 

"Well, that's a first," Hyunjin chuckled, albeit awkwardly, the sound still managed to get a small smile from Chaewon. "But seriously, what are you thinking about? It must be something big to keep you  _this_ out of the loop." 

   
 

Hyunjin moved closer to Chaewon, standing by her side and leaning down towards her the slightest bit. Her hand had gone from a hesitant touch to a warm caress, and Chaewon knew it was all an attempt to be both comforting, and cautious. Hyunjin and her hadn't spoken much beyond small talk in more than a year, so it was easy to see Hyunjin was trying to measure her words as to not scare Chaewon off. The evident care and worry in Hyunjin's facial expression and words brought back a nostalgia Chaewon thought she had left behind, but had obviously stayed with her, as her vision got blurry with tears. 

   
 

Chaewon was tired, and she missed her friends. She missed Hyejoo, she missed Hyunjin, she missed Vivi, she missed Yeojin, she missed Heejin, she missed Jungeun (despite her conflicting feelings towards the girl). 

   
 

She even missed Sooyoung. 

   
 

Without thinking, Chaewon circled Hyunjin's waist with her arms in a much needed hug, and buried her head in her shoulders. They were alone in the potions room by this point, so even though it wasn't exactly private, they still had a bit of time for themselves. Just when Chaewon was contemplating moving away, seeing as Hyunjin was stiff and not returning the hug, she felt a pair of arms around her shoulders, and a big hand at the top of her head. She sunk further into Hyunjin's embrace, crying harder as the older girl held her tighter. 

   
 

It was a silent agreement between the two of them. Chaewon wasn't okay, and Hyunjin was there for her if she needed her to be. Whenever she needed her to be. 

   
 

"Hyunjinnie! What's taking you so lo-" 

   
 

At the sudden sound, Chaewon quickly detached herself from Hyunjin, leaving a considerable amount of space between them as she sniffled and tried to wipe her tears away. They weren't doing anything wrong, she knew that, but the feminine voice had caught her off guard, and she acted without thinking. Looking up to see who had spoken, Chaewon felt even more awkward when she made eye contact with Heejin, as the girl looked between Hyunjin and her with a suspicious glint in her eyes and a furrowed brow. 

   
 

"Hey, Heejin." 

   
 

"Hi, Chae," she returned, stare now fixed on Hyunjin. "Sorry if I interrupted something, I just usually walk Hyunjin to her next class after this one and I didn't want her to be late." 

   
 

"It's fine, we weren't-" 

   
 

"Chaewon just needed a hug," Hyunjin said curtly, breaking her glaring contest with Heejin as she turned to give Chaewon one last comforting look. "I'll see you soon, alright? Come get me if you need anything." And with that, Hyunjin took Heejin's hand and left Chaewon in a humid dungeon room, all alone. 

   
 

>>>>>>>>>>>> 

   
 

Later that day, Chaewon found it easier to go through her classes, despite still being a bit aloof. Whether if what had helped had been Hyunjin’s comforting presence, or the sheer surprise of being interrupted by Heejin, Chaewon didn’t know, but she was thankful either way. Had it not been for it, she probably wouldn’t have been able to survive her Arithmancy class, which she shared with Jiwoo and Yerim. 

 

(They didn’t exactly help with her paying-attention issue, but at least they got her out of her depressing state with their antics and nagging.) 

 

She was trying —key word, trying— to take notes that were at least somewhat understandable for her to read later on, when, from the corner of her eye, she saw something moving. Chaewon glanced quickly at the corner of the desk, only to look back at it with widened eyes. 

 

A tiny, enchanted paper horned serpent slithered its way towards Chaewon, its poorly doodled eyes staring up at her curiously. Chaewon watched fascinated as it stopped on top of her paper, leaning her body upwards, as its forked tongue peaked out its mouth every few seconds. The Ravenclaw had only ever seen the animation charm used on paper birds, so to see a rather harshly folded horned serpent was of the most interest to Chaewon, and it quickly made all of the little focus she had managed to conjure to dissipate into nothingness. 

 

Unfortunately, her new little inanimate friend had also caught the attention of Yujin, Chaewon’s partner, who was sitting right next to her. 

 

“ _Oooooh_ _,_ is someone sending you love letters in the middle of class now, Chaewon?” she asked, reaching out for the horned serpent with her hand. When Yujin got too close, the serpent jumped, trying to bite down on her hand, but Yujin’s Quidditch reflexes had her moving her hand away from its reach swiftly. “Jeez, I guess someone really doesn’t want anyone but you to read that.” 

 

Chaewon ignored Yujin’s slightly offended tone and gently scooped the paper animal up in her hands. With further inspection, Chaewon noticed the messy handwriting between the serpent’s folds. 

 

“I’m sorry for this, buddy.” Chaewon whispered to the expectant object. There was no need to apologize, considering it was just an enchanted piece of paper, but Chaewon still felt compelled to do so. 

 

With careful fingers, Chaewon unfolded the serpent, dissolving the spell and revealing the message that was written in the now crinkled parchment paper. 

 

 _Go to old hanging out spot. After classes._  

 _-JS_  

 _P.S.: in case you forgot, old hanging out spot is Room of Requirements._  

 

Under the scribbled note Jinsol had written for her was a map of the seventh floor, with a big blue circle around on of the walls. 

 

(The map was totally unnecessary. Of course, Chaewon remembered where the Room of Requirements was.  _Pff_ _._ ) 

 

Chaewon dared a glance behind her. Jiwoo and Yerim, held similar pieces of paper in their hands, and were equally as confused and intrigued. The three of them shared a look, silently nodding to each other. They had all received Jinsol’s note. 

 

What were they being summoned for, though? The thought of it only made Chaewon’s stomach bubble with anxiety. 

 

>>>>>>>>>>>> 

 

On their way to the seventh floor, Jiwoo and Yerim argued about what could be so important that Jinsol felt like she needed to send them a note (during class, at that) to meet her in their old hanging out spot. As the group had started to crack and break, the visits they made to the Room of Requirements started to be less and far between, some of the girls stopping altogether before others, but the idea got through everyone’s heads. 

 

The Room of Requirement was a place for the twelve of them, and the twelve of them only. 

 

Ever since Jinsol and Jungeun had first found it on their first and second year, and then showed it to the rest of them as their group grew bigger, the girls had gone to their special room every week day after classes, with  _few_  exceptions (such as Quidditch trials and practices, and some sick days), to hang out, study together, catch up on each other’s days, or simply play with the wide variety of both magical and muggle games the room provided them with. There never was a dull moment in the Room of Requirements, which was why (Chaewon thought), when the tension grew between them all, and friendships started to hang by a thin thread, they all just unconsciously decided to leave the room to their old selves. It was filled of memories of the twelve of them having fun, and there was no need to ruin that with new, more bitter experiences. 

 

Chaewon was too caught up in her thoughts to join in on the Jiwoo and Yerim’s bickering, but it had been a while since she had climbed up all the flight of stairs to the seventh floor, she was tired, and her patience was wearing thin. 

 

And as if it wasn’t enough to have two overly energetic Hufflepuffs at your tail, Chaewon also had to bump into  _Yeojin_ _._  

 

"Hey! Watch where you’re going, stinky ass-” Yeojin cut herself off, as she looked up at Chaewon. A faint blush of embarrassment spread through her cheeks, and she quickly looked away. “Chaewon, hi. Didn’t see you around, what with you being so short and all. Yerim, Jiwoo.” 

 

Chaewon frowned in disbelief. “You’re shorter than me.” 

 

“Technicalities! Anyway, what are you three doing here?” the young Gryffindor asked. 

 

“Jinsol sent us a note! What about you?” Jiwoo said, cheery as always. 

 

“I got a note from Jinsol, too.” Yeojin said, frowning. She scrambled to search the insides of her pockets, until with a sudden  _ah ha!_ She retrieved the wrinkly paper from one of them, and showed it to the other three girls. 

 

Chaewon frowned even more, turning around to climb the stairs even faster without muttering another word. 

 

“Chae, hey! Wait for us!” Yerim yelled after her, but Chaewon didn’t stop. 

 

Reaching the top of the stairs, Chaewon power walked to the meeting place with a one-track mind. Jinsol couldn’t have possibly gathered them all together, right? 

 

At a hallway turn, Chaewon stopped dead in her tracks, making the three girls, who had been running right after her to catch up, clash onto her. But the Ravenclaw barely moved an inch, as the eyes of the six girls before her stared her down. 

 

Haseul, Vivi, Hyunjin, Heejin. Jungeun. 

 

And Sooyoung. Hidden by the shadows of the furthest column of the hallway, but it was indeed, Sooyoung. 

 

“What the fuck was she thinking?” Chaewon whispered softly. 

 

“Uh, Chae? Who are you talking about?” Jiwoo asked.  

 

Chaewon was about to reply, when a door started to manifest in the near wall. They were all familiar with the view, of course, but after so long of not experiencing it, after so long of not being in the presence of half of these girls, Chaewon felt nervous. More nervous than she had felt in a while. 

 

Once the door was finally corporeal, it was opened from the inside. Jinsol stepped out, reviewing them all with an expressionless face. She closed the door behind her, clearing her throat awkwardly, as she regarded the ten girls that all used to be her friends. 

 

“Thank you all for coming. I wasn’t sure if some of you would do it.” 

 

(Chaewon could have sworn her line of vision flitted to Sooyoung momentarily.)

 

“What are we doing here, Sol? I have the Quidditch trials to practice for.” Jungeun said, rather impatiently. 

 

“You’ll see, okay? I just— I just need you all to promise me you won’t freak out too much and you’ll be gentle.” 

 

“What are you even talking about? Freak out about what?” Jungeun continued to press. If Chaewon hadn’t been trembling by the prospect of what Jinsol was about to do, she probably would have been annoyed with the girl. 

 

“This is about Hyejoo, right?” 

 

All heads turned towards Chaewon, but the small Ravenclaw had her eyes fixed on Jinsol, waiting for an answer. The tension between them all was already tangible enough, and with the mention of Hyejoo, it only seemed to have increased. 

 

Jinsol pressed her lips together in a thin line, and nodded. 

 

“I’m out of here.” Sooyoung said, moving to leave where she had formerly been leaning against the wall lazily. 

 

“Please don’t. I just need you to  _listen_  to her.” Jinsol pleaded. 

 

“There’s nothing she can say to make things right again, Jinsol. I’m sorry, But I don’t feel like wasting my time with this.” 

 

Sooyoung’s words angered Chaewon. It angered her in a way not even Jungeun could manage to achieve. It was the special way Sooyoung had of phrasing things, her nonchalant, disinterested tone, her bored demeanor, all of the things that used to anger Chaewon when they were still friends, as close as sisters can be, all came back to her, making the Ravenclaw’s blood boil with an old fire that had been light anew. 

 

In a swift movement, Chaewon grabbed Sooyoung’s wrist as the girl walked past her, as if she didn’t even remember who Chaewon was. She halted Sooyoung, the older Slytherin looking between Chaewon and the hand gripping her wrist with raised eyebrows. 

 

“You don’t get to leave, Sooyoung,” Chaewon said, trying with everything in her to conceal the raw anger she was feeling. “You don’t get to leave  _and_ try to make it sound like everything that happened was Hyejoo’s fault. Not when it was  _you_ who started to draw away first.” 

 

Sooyoung stared her down.  _Hard_. She had clearly not expected Chaewon to throw her wrongs right at her face, but Chaewon was tired. She was tired of ignoring all of her history with these girls, tired of pretending the breaking and the distance wasn’t eating her away, tired of pretending she didn’t miss them all so very dearly. 

 

Even if some of them almost got Chaewon hating them. 

 

Sooyoung moved away from her grip, but stayed put. She stared at Chaewon for a while longer, before looking back at Jinsol, and giving her a short nod. 

 

“Okay, this is not what I expected to happen at all, but— okay, come in.” She said, moving aside and opening the door to the Room of Requirements. One by one, all girls went in the room, until only Jinsol and Chaewon were left. 

 

While walking through the threshold, Jinsol placed her hand on Chaewon’s shoulder, in some sort of side hug. “Thank you for that, Chae. She wanted all of us to be here.” 

 

Chaewon swallowed anxiously. “Don’t thank me for that, Sol. Really.” 

 

Jinsol dropped her hand, moving to walk ahead of Chaewon. Looking around, the younger Ravenclaw their own Room of Requirements looked  _exactly_  as they had left it. A circular large room, with five brown, beautifully polished doors, with their labels: kitchen, library, pool (that one had always been a mystery to all of them, but it had come in handy, since the black lake wasn’t the best place to learn how to swim), game room, and window room. On the far end of the room, opposite the door they had just gone through, was a big, beautiful fireplace carved in marble, with a set of three couches in front of it, covered by blankets and pillows. A fire was already cracking in it, making the place warm, almost as if the Room of Requirements was welcoming them after a long, tiring journey, and making itself feel like home. 

 

Hyejoo was standing in front of the fireplace, looking down at the floor, much like she had done the other day, and hugging herself tightly. Chaewon was overcome by the same feeling of protectiveness. But there was nothing she could do, especially in front of the girls, so she just clenched her fists, and buried that sense of extreme care she felt towards Hyejoo as deep as she could.  

 

No one took a seat, all opting to just stare at Hyejoo from behind the couches. Jinsol approached the trembling girl, whispering something in her ear, and rubbing her arms up and down, and Hyejoo nodded. The huge hole of hurt in Chaewon’s heart shrank in size at the sight, glad Hyejoo had at least someone to comfort her. 

 

Jinsol moved the side, standing just a bit further on Hyejoo’s left. Taking a deep breath, Hyejoo straightened her posture, letting her arms fall by her side, and even though her stare was still glued to the floor, she managed to look slightly more confident. 

 

“I’m— thanks for being here. I know you probably all have better things to do right now, but—” 

 

“Just get to the point, Hyejoo.” Jungeun interrupted with that same annoyed tone, and Chaewon felt the humongous need to just punch the girl. Luckily, Jinsol fixed her with a rare, angry glare, and that was enough to put her in her place. 

 

Hyejoo looked back at Jinsol uncertainly, the older girl returning the gesture with a soft smile. The Slytherin sighed, moving her arms up once again, this time to remove her robe. When her hands moved down to the collar of her shirt, and started to unbutton it, Chaewon’s eyes grew twice their size, as she blushed a deep shade of red. 

 

“Woah, what the hell are you doing?” Hyunjin asked, covering her eyes with her hands. The other girls had similar scandalized reactions, with Haseul being the most exaggerated, as she covered Yeojin’s entire face with the sleeve of her robe, as her step sister struggled with her. 

 

“Hyejoo, you don’t—” Heejin started, but a gasp cut her sentence short. 

 

With half of her shirt unbuttoned, Hyejoo moved the left shoulder down her arm, revealing the biggest scar Chaewon had ever seen. 

 

(Chaewon felt how her face went from being a heated red, to losing color and warmth by the second.) 

 

The scar was mismatched and bulgy, with little bumps on Hyejoo’s skin here and there. Other scars lingered around it, and from what Chaewon could see, they continued down her arm and torso as well. 

 

“During the third year,” Hyejoo started, her previously small voice now sounding incredibly booming in the tense, expectant silence. “My dad was killed by a werewolf. The same werewolf who bit me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you can now find me on twitter as @crystalloona and curioscat as clcpop ;)

**Author's Note:**

> feedback is always appreciated! don't hesitate to leave some constructive criticism to help me improve my writing so you can further enjoy your reading


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